Cut-nail machine



n UNrrEn s'rATEs PATENT oEEioE.

THOMAS H. BARLOW, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

CUT-NAIL MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent -No. 11,114, dated June 20, 1854.

' ofthe stocks andlshaft in Fig. 2.

. plate to the pairs or sets of shears and Similar letters in bot-h the figures denote like parts. n The natureof. my invention relates to the peculiar method of shearing the blank from the nailplate; to the so arranging of the` pairs or sets of shears and grippers, as that` they` shall be operated by one rock shaft; and to the method of feeding up thev nail grippers.

To 'enable others skilled in the `art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings. j

A1 bedplate A, of any suitable construc-` tionis made, upon which the pillar blocks B, B, are arranged for forming a bearing for the cam shaftfO, which may be rotated from anyflrst mover. On or nea-r the center of the camshaft C, is placed` a cam D, which operates in the yoke E, .of a lever F, which lever is connected to the rock shaft- G, and by` means" of said cam shaft, cam, yoke and lever, motion 1s communicated said rock shaft. x

The vibrating'stocks H, H, each of which carries its respective cutter or shearI, I, are connected permanently with the rock shaft G-one 0n each side of said shaft, so that they move alternately toward and from their respective stationary cutters or shears J, J, which are arranged on the permanent or immovable `stocks K, K. j The faces of `the stationary stocks K K, on which the cutters J, J, are placed, stand at an angle of about forty-live degrees with the nail tact therewith, and thus the blank is cut off from the plate, the shear of cut being from both sides, and the shape of the cut is square'with the sides of the nail plate.` The pairs or sets of cutters I J-I J, should be so inclined in their beds in the stocks as to cut the blanks from the plate alternately f head and point, as it is termed, to -keep the end of the nail plate as nearly` square or uniform as possible. The stocks K K,

should be susceptible of adjustment, by set l screws or otherwise, so as tobe adjusted to their fellows on the rock shaft-and the cutters or shear blades I, J, may also be made adjustable in their beds by set screws or otherwise. After the stocks K, K,` are adjusted they are then immovable-their mates or fellows H, H, oscillating to and from them by the motion of the rock shaft j to which they are attached. That portion of the stocks immediately underneath the cutters, form the gripping jaws, which seize the blank the moment it is cut from the nail plate and hold it firmly until the headers (to be hereafter described) come up and form the head, when the aws are opened by the receding of the movable stock, the

nail drops out finished.

` On the shaft` C, are arranged two cams i L, L, for operating the heading levers M M-there being one header for each of the pairs of sets ofcutters or shears. `These heading levers oscillate on their journals (one of which is the block N, and the'other at O)at proper intervals so as toheadthe blank the: moment it is caught by the grip.- ping jaws. j

l The method of feeding up the nail plate is as follows, viZLTwo upright supporting` pieces P,:P, are arranged on the bed plate,`

or table, immediately` over the cutters, the topsof which are united by a cross piece Q. The nail plate holder R, passes through a slot or mortise in the cross piece Q, and

extends down and through a sliding bar S,v

which is pushed to and fro, by means of the arms T, T, arranged, one on each of the heading levers M, M. In this nail plate holder or the shank or handle thereof is placed a series of pins or teeth l, 2, 3, &c., which should extend from the top to the bottom of said nail plate holder (although represented but in a portion thereof)- which teeth catch into and are released by a sliding escapement U, so as to let down said holder the distance between the pins or teeth, at every back and forward motion of the escapementor in other words one half the distance by the forward, and the other half of the distance by the backward movement of said escapement. The escapement may be constructed and operated in a variety of waysthe one here represented is however quite simple, and consists of two parallel plates, just the distance apart that it is required to drop the nail plate at eachv operation of the cutters. The teeth are caught first upon the upper plate, which slides out from under them when they drop on thesecond or under one, and so on. The escapement should be made to turn on its pivoted point so that it may be readily removed for raising up the nail plate holder, or when furnishing it with a new plate and may be slid back against a guide a and held by a button Z9, when in place.

V, is a vibrating lever hinged at c-its lower end being connected to the sliding bar S, at el, and its upper end to theescapement U, at e. As the bar S is thrown to one side and then to the other, by the arms T, it vibrates the nail plate holder, and the nail plate in it, first bringing it over one set or pair of cutters, and then over the other set or pair, alternately, but in all cases so that t-he thick part of the blank cut from the plate, or that part on which the head is to be formed, shall be on the outer sides of said pairs or sets of cutters; and at the precise instant that the nail plate is over either of the cutters the escapement allows it to drop the proper distance to constitute the necessary feed. The nail plate holder standing perpendicularly, or nearly so over the cutters, it falls by its own gravity the'moment it is released by the escapement, and thus the escapement becomes the means o-f feeding up, and gaging the feed, of the nail plate. The escapement as before mentioned may be made and applied, to the feeding up, and gaging of the feed, of nail plates in various ways and I do not intend to confiney myself to the use of the one specially described herein, as others are equally capable of performing the same function, and I intend to so apply them if found essential to my invention. I v

There is a very great mechanical certainty of the nail plate being in the proper position for being fed up to the cutters, be-

It is obvious that this machine may be adapted to the making of nails of all sizes, down to the smallest tacks, as from its simple combination of parts for rapid work, and its perfect and certain automatic feed it is peculiarly applicable t-o the purposes designed.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

l. In combination with the pairs of xed stocks and cutters K, J, the vibrating stocks and cutters H, I, when said vibrating stocks and cutters are so arranged as to be capable of being operated from one rock shaft, by one cam and lever, and the pairs or sets of stocks constitute t-he gripping jaws for and thus dispensing with the usual mode of gripping, substantially as described.

2. I also claim in combination with the l THOS. H. BARLOW.

Witnesses:

A. B. SToUGHfroN, THOMAS UPPERMAN.

'holding the blank while it is being headed, 

